A.M. ATL: Wait, there’s more

Morning, y’all! It’s a tradition all its own: The first few times you turn on your car’s heat in the fall, it smells like something crawled up there and died. Sometimes, that’s the case! More likely, it’s dust that’s collected over the long summer. Ah, eau de car crud.

Let’s get to it.

AJC POLLS: THE REST OF THE BIG RACES

Governor and U.S. Senate races may be highest on the midterm ballot, but there are so many other races that affect the way our state government is run.

This year, the biggest of those down-ballot races look as deadlocked as some at the top.

A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of likely Georgia voters shows the races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state are all a toss-up.

A startling stat

Republicans have been voted into every statewide elected office in Georgia’s executive branch since 2006.

Which are on the ballot this year … and why

• Remember when Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger all put their hats in the ring to run for Georgia governor?
• They all gave up their current seats to do so, which is the reason those three offices are up for a vote this year.

What the poll says

(All percentages are among likely voters polled)

• Lieutenant Governor: Democrat Josh McLaurin is at 42%, and Republican Greg Dolezal is at 39%. More than 17% are undecided.
• Secretary of State: Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds is at 43%, and Republican Tim Fleming is at 42%. More than 14% are undecided.
• Attorney General: Democrat Tanya Miller and Republican Brian Strickland each have about 44% support. More than 11% are undecided.

🔎 READ MORE: More poll info, and what each office does

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ATL AIRPORT WILL SPEND $1M A DAY ON IMPROVEMENTS

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is entering a spendy new era.

Several high-profile construction projects are entering new phases, upping the estimated cost of work for the next year to $1 million a day.

These costs include:

• The multiphase Concourse D: The project to widen the concourse piece by piece is expected to take until 2029 to complete, with a total cost of approx. $1.5 billion.
• Old South parking deck teardown: The demolition and reconstruction of the old South parking deck will begin soon. That will also mean the South lower roadway will be closed for two years, starting in January.
• Plane Train cars: The airport has been gradually replacing older Plane Train cars and is purchasing another 29 new vehicles as replacements for the fleet.

🔎 READ MORE: Other projects, and what it means for you

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

⚡ With host communities across the U.S. turning against massive data centers, America’s tech giants are promising to take fewer taxpayer handouts, keep fewer secrets or shower more money onto the communities willing to allow the server warehouses.

💰 Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has raised $23.2 million since early August as she scrambles to keep pace with billionaire Republican Rick Jackson and his massive financial edge in Georgia’s race for governor.

🚨 Meanwhile, Jackson is sounding the alarm over sluggish early voting across deep-red rural Georgia, warning that complacency in GOP strongholds could jeopardize his bid for governor.

NEW MICHELIN HONORS

Georgia added two new Michelin-starred restaurants at this year’s Michelin Guide ceremony. That means the Peach State now has 10 restaurants earning a coveted star.

(For those who aren’t familiar, Michelin’s three-star rating system is more of an “amazing, amazinger, amazingest” situation, so even one star is a huge honor.)

And they are …

The newbies:

• So. Fox
• Uberto

The eight others, all of whom [applause] retained their stars for another year:

• Atlas
• Bacchanalia
• Hayakawa
• Lazy Betty
• Mujo
• O by Brush
• Omakase Table
• Spring

Go ahead, update your “very fancy date night” lists.

🍽️ READ MORE: Details and other Atlanta restaurant news from the ceremony

NEWS BITES

Names, histories and shared lessons: How the 2026 World Series ties to the Atlanta Braves

Honestly? One of my favorite baseball reads in a while, so I’ve made it free to read for everyone.

Teddy Swims is from Conyers, FYI, and he had a great conversation with the AJC about repping his native state.

Takeaways from the Hawks’ dramatic season opener against the Magic

A heated rivalry, indeed. No, not like that, hockey fans. Relax.

ON THIS DATE

Oct. 23, 1964

League assures Braves can move. As had been anticipated, the Milwaukee Braves were assured of permission to take their game to Atlanta next season at a meeting of the National League here Thursday. But not as had been expected, they’ll have to go into extra innings in a Milwaukee court before the arrangement becomes effective.